Welcome to the hyper-imaginative world of Joey Joesph! The Cincinnati-based multi-instrumentalist home-produced his latest self-titled audio adventure, and he can be heard playing all the instruments on the album too. A former member of the Ohio-based indie band Pomegranates, this is Joseph’s fifth solo effort. Today we check out the album’s standout track “Frozen Lake,” while taking time to talk with the artist about what inspired the song.
While you’d be hard-pressed to place Joseph’s music in any particular genre, at times, it is also difficult to pin down to any particular time period. That is not to say, though, that his music isn’t accessible or instantly recognizable in the best of ways. Across his new LP, Joseph slips in and out of styles and genres with ease moving effortlessly between blaring psychedelia, trippy Exotica, and mushroom enhanced Saturday morning cartoon theme song. All the while, he plays genial host narrating with wide-eyed wonder and child-like glee.
As the musician explains below, the song “Frozen Lake” was inspired by a winter trip to Lake Michigan. The stark beauty of that outing is not lost here only enhanced by this magic carpet ride of a remembrance. While polar vortex temperatures might have created the pile of ice on the shore that the musician witnessed that frigid, this song is bathed instead in the warm guitar tones of his memory. Narrated in that almost quixotic voice of his, the timeless sort of innocence he exudes vocally is always grounded in lucid observation, like noticing the frozen lake he was standing on was divided from the shore by a “giant crack in the ice running the length of the beach.”
Really, “Frozen Lake” is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg here as Joseph’s new, self-titled album is a thrilling listen throughout. While you’re at, check out our short interview with the artist after the Bandcamp embed below.
-So tell us about “Frozen Lake”; what inspired this track and how does it fit to you on the album?
I wrote “Frozen Lake” after visiting Holland, Michigan one winter several years ago. Lake Michigan had frozen a few yards out into an icy cliff jutting up about five feet or so above the dark, snowy water. The part we were walking on had frozen over into these half-buried, 6-inch spheres. It was a totally alien landscape… really beautiful and kind of unsettling. At one point I noticed a crack in the ice under our feet running parallel to the shore. I was quick to put myself on the land side of the crack, and then kind of got lost gazing down into it. I imagined slipping in and falling forever, and in my mind it was actually kind of a peaceful scene – everything sort of slowing down, but not like slow-mo, just like time being different.
I think its role on the album is an important one. It’s kind of a soft, dreamy cushion sandwiched between a nice pop tune, and a high energy sort of punk song. I’m so fascinated by how differently a song can come across based on its context. Its feeling can change so much depending on the song that comes before it. A sort of short, simple, bubblegum song hits me so much harder, for example, if it’s played immediately after some 11 minute drone, than if it were to be in the middle of a playlist of other short, simple, bubblegum songs. That contrast is really exciting to me.
-Your sound has an obvious strong garage rock feel but there are other cool elements as well (psychedelics/electronics/what sounds like analogue production), where do you draw your influences from?
The biggest single inspiration for me is probably just finding some old, strange gem that isn’t on Spotify or anything. Ultimately, I want to make music that, when you hear it, it isn’t clear what era it’s from. I love old TV theme songs. My friend recently showed me NTS radio, which I’ve been really loving. The Loose Bones show, and Keel Her, are two of my faves at the moment. An early, really important thing for me was, and still is Trish’s Mind Bending Motorway Mix (a mix made by Trish Keenan from Broadcast before she passed away). There’s so much amazing stuff on there, and I’m a big Broadcast fan anyway, so it just feels special. If you haven’t heard it it’s worth listening to a few times – I think you can still find it for free on the internet.
-Final question; you used to play in the band Pomegranates, who toured quite a bit back in the day. Things in the world are certainly not conducive to tour at the moment, but when you did tour, did you ever make it out to Live Eye TV’s hometown of Seattle? Do you hope to tour back out this way again when the world is more calmed down?
Yes, Pomegranates played Seattle at least a couple times and it was always great! We got to do a KEXP session, which was a pretty incredible experience. I would love to one day get to bring my own project out there, and visit KEXP again… so much love for Cheryl and all those people, I’m really grateful for what they do. I also really appreciate you guys, thanks so much for making the time to talk with me!
